Means for reversing trolley-pole supports



(No Model.)

H. P. WELLMAN. MEANS FOR REVERSING TROLLEYYPOLE SUPPORTS.

Patented Apia 21, 1896..

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I'IARLAN PAGE \VELLMAN, OF ASI-ILAND, KENTUCKY.

MEANS FOR REVERSING TROLLEY-POLE SUPPORTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,868, dated April 21, 1896.

Applicationfileli S t mber 1'7, 1895. Serial No, 562,766. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IIARLAN PAGE WELL- MAN, of Ashland, in the county of Boyd and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Beversin g Trolley-Pole Supports; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in electric-railway cars, and has reference more particularly to means for turning or swiveling the trolleypole.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and highly-efficient means whereby the motorman or his assistant can readily and easily eifect the turning or reversal of position of the base of the trolley-pole from one end of the car. This I accomplish by pneumatic pressure. The trolley-pole base is pivoted and provided with a toothed or gear A pivoted frame located longitudinally on the car-roof supports a rack-bar, which is normally held out of contact with the gear-wheel. This rack-bar is connected to a piston-rod, into the ends of the cylinder of which open pipes leading from a compressed-air reservoir. A second piston and air-cylinder are mounted on the free end of the pivoted frame. By admitting air into the latter the tension of the retaining-spring is overcome and the rack-bar is thrown into engagement with the gear-wheel of the trolleypole base. Air being admitted to the other cylinder the rack-bar is caused to move with the piston of the latter, thereby effecting the turning of the trolley-pole base. The rackbar is then disengaged from the gear-wheel by relieving the pressure in the cylinder, which effects the turning of the frame on its pivot, said frame assuming its normal position 1111- der the action of its retaining-spring.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved apparatus, the trolley-pole being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Figs. 3 and l are details.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a stand or flat stationary frame, which is attached to the top of a car-roof. (Not shown.) In the square portion a of this stand is a socket or bearing a for the shaft or axle a of a horizontally-disposed gear-wheel of, which forms part of or is secured to the trolley-pole base a. The movement of gear-wheel a is limited in either direction by stops a projecting upwardly from stand A, and with which a short downwardly-extended lug or finger a of said wheel is designed to engage.

B is a longitudinally-disposed frame, which is pivotally mounted at one end by a shaft Z), supported at one end of stand A. To this end of said frame is bolted or otherwise secured one end of a cylinder b, in which is a piston b the rod 19 of which extends into the arched portion 12 of frame B. Into the ends of this cylinder 1) compressed air is designed 'to be admitted through flexible tubes 11 l), connected, respectively, to supply-pipes 6 b attached to the car-roof and leading to a compressedair reservoir, (not shown,) located at some convenient point, preferably beneath the floor of the car. Suitable valves (also not shown) are provided in said pipes b b for controlling the supply of air therethrough, the same being within control of the motorman or his assistant.

0 designates a second cylinder mounted on the free end of frame B transversely to the latter, and in said cylinder is a piston (Z, whose rod cl projects through one end of said cylinder and is pivotally connected at its outer end by a nutted bolt cl", supported by two lugs or cars (1 projecting upwardly from stand A. Into the closed end of this cylinder 0 opens a flexible tube (:1 which leads from a pipe d also connected to the air-reservoir and valved, as before described, in connection with the pipes b Z1 D is a rack-bar rigidly secured to the projecting end of piston-rod b and supported by the cylinder C by means of flanged plates 6Z5, attached to the closed end of the latter. A lug d extending from the rack-bar D at about its point of union with piston-rodb is designed to strike against bumpers d7, preferably composed of rubber blocks supported byflanges (Z of frame B. (See Fig. 4:.) In this way the movement of the rack-bar will not jar the frame.

E is acoilspringwhich surroundsaheaded rod 6 and bears at one end against a lug e, projecting upwardly from stand A. This rod 6 extends through a hole in said lug and engages a short extension 6 of the end of frame B, the end of said rod 6 being of T form. This spring serves to normally hold the frame B in the position shown in Fig. 2that is, with the rack-bar out of engagement with the gear-wheel of the trolley-pole base. The lug 8 forms a stop to limit the movement of the frame 15.

The operation is as follows: When it is desired to change the position of the trolley-pole base, the operator first admits air from the reservoir through pipe (Z to eylin der 0. This will cause frame B to move horizontally on its pivot as against the tension of the retainingspring E and throw rack-bar D into engagement with gear-wheel (t \Vhile the pressure is still maintainedin cylinder 0 air is admitted to one end of cylinder 1) through one of the pipes Z1 b according to the direction in which the rack-bar is to be moved. This will cause the piston b to travel and the rackbar D to effect the turning of the gear-wheel a, the movement of which is limited by the lug thereof contacting with one of the stops of the stand A. As soon as this is accomplished pressure in the supply-pipes is cut off and the frame B returns to its normal position under the action of the retaining-sprin g and the rack-bar is disengaged from the gearwheel. In some instances it may be desired or necessary to change the position of the rack-bar without having the same engage the gear-wheel of the trolley-pole base. This, of course, can be accomplished when the frame B is in its normal position by admitting air to the cylinder 7).

The advantages of my invention are apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains and need not be recited.

\Vhile I have shown the preferred means of embodiment of my invention, yet I do not restrict myself thereto, since chan es maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination with a pivotally-mounted trolley-pole base, of a device for turning said base, a pivoted frame supporting said device, and a compressed-air cylinder having its piston-rod connected to said device, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a pivotally-mounted trolley-pole base, of a device for engaging and turning said base normally held out of contact therewith, a pivoted frame supporting said device, a compressed-air cylinder having its piston-rod connected to said device, and a second compressed-air attachment for moving said frame on its pivot, whereby said device is thrown into engagement with said base, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a pivotally-mounted trolley-pole base, of a device for engaging and turning said base normally held out of contact therewith, a pivoted frame supporting said device, a retaining-spring acting on said frame, a compressed-air cylinder having its piston-rod connected to said device, and a second compressed-air attachment for moving said frame as against said spring thereby throwing said device into engagement with said base, substantially as set forth.

The combination with a pivotall -mounted trolley-pole base having a gear-wheel, of a raclcbar having a pivoted support, a pneumatic-pressure device for moving said rackbar longitudinally, and a second pneumaticpressure device for moving said pivoted sup port, whereby said rack-bar can be thrown into engagement with said gear-wheel. and caused to rotate the latter, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a pivotally-mounted trolley-pole base having a gear-wheel, of a longitudinally disposed pivoted frame, an air-cylinder connected thereto having a'piston and piston-rod, a rack-bar supported by said frame and connected to said piston-rod, and means for throwing said rack-bar into en gagement with said gear-wheel and for disengaging the same, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with apivotally-mounted trolley-pole base having a gear-wheel, of a longitudinally disposed pivoted frame, an air-cylinder connected thereto having a piston and piston-rod, a rack-bar supported by said frame and connected to said piston-rod, said rack-bar being normally held out of engagement with said gear-wheel, and a compressed-air attachment on the free end of said frame for throwing said rack-barinto engagement with said gear-wheel, substantially as set forth.

'7. The combination with apivotally-mount ed trolley-pole base, of a longitudinally-disposed frame pivoted at one end, a spring acting 011 the other end of said frame, an air-cylinder connected to the pivoted end of said frame and having a piston and piston-rod, a rack-bar connected to said piston-rod, guides therefor, and a second compressed-air attachment on the free end of said frame for turning the latter as against the tension of said spring and throwing said rack-bar into en gagement with said gear-wheel, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a pivotallyunounted trolley-pole base, of a1011gitudinally-disposed frame pivoted at one end, a spring acting 011 the other end of said frame, an aircylinder connected to the pivoted end of said frame and having a piston and piston-rod, a rack-bar connected to said piston-rod, guides IIO therefor, a lug projecting from said raclebar, bumpers therefor supported by said frame, and a second compressed-air attachment on the free end of said frame for turning the latter as against the tension of said spring and throwing said rack-bar into engagement with said gear-wheel, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination With the stand, of the trolley-pole base pivotally mounted thereon having a gear-wheel provided With a lug, stops on said stand with Which said lug is designed to engage, a frame pivoted on said stand and having an air-cylinder at one end, the rackbar connected to the piston-rod of said cylinder, the spring holding the free end of said frame, and a second compressedair attachment for moving said frame on its pivot and throwing said rack-bar into engagement with said gear-Wheel, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination With the pivotallymounted trolley-pole base having a gearwheel, of the pivoted frame, the rack-bar supported thereby, means for moving said rackbar, the spring acting on the free end of said frame, the air-cylinder on said end of said frame, and the stationary piston therein, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with the pivotally mounted trolley-pole base having a gear- Wheel, of the pivoted frame, the rack-bar, means for moving said rack-bar, the air-cylinder on the free end of said frame having guide-plates for said rack-bar, the piston 011 said cylinder having its rod pivotally secured at its outer end to a stationary support, and the retracting-spring connected to said frame, substantially as set forth. 7

12. The combination with the stand having two stops, a lug, and two cars, of a trolleypole base pivotally mounted on said stand having a gear-Wheel provided With a finger designed to engage said stops, a frame pivotally mounted at one end to said stand and having two bumpers, the compressed-air cylinder connected to the pivoted end of'said frame, the rack-bar connected to the pistonrod of said air-cylinder, the lug designed to engage said bumpers, the second compressedair cylinder on the free end of said frame, the piston-rod thereof pivotally connected at its outer end between said ears of said base, the guide-plates for said rack-bar attached to said second cylinder, and a spring-held rod extended through said lug of said base and engaging the free end of said pivoted frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I-IARLAN PAGE VELLMAN.

Vitnesses M. T. NEWMAN, J. XV. KING. 

